As we started our family ski weekend, the kids couldn’t contain their excitement, and were ready to go first thing in the morning! I still hadn’t had my coffee, but their enthusiasm perked us all up for our day with Epic SchoolKids. We planned a ski weekend and experienced all the mountain has to offer for families, and I learned a few things too! For example, did you know that the Epic SchoolKids program offers 16 free ski days for kids in grades K-5th Grade at four Colorado resorts (4 days each): Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek? Their website also discusses FAQs on free lessons for first time skiers. Check out epicpass.com/ColoradoKids for updates. The instructions for getting the kids signed up are all here, and are super easy, if you have not done it yet. We had so much fun, here’s a short video, but you can check out the full one at this link or it is embedded below.

On the day of our epic ski adventure, it was super easy to get both kids registered and fitted for equipment for lessons. From the moment we walked towards the ski school, until we picked them up, my husband and I both commented what a well-oiled and organized machine Keystone Ski and Ride School is. Our eldest wanted to try snowboarding and was a first time snowboarder. She had a blast! She said after a couple more lessons, she will be a boarder.

For my military readers, the Liberty Pass is available through Snow.Com at snow.com/epic-pass/military, and offers the best deal to our military and their families. You can check with your local ITT office or call the resort.

My husband and I also reconnected while the kids took their lessons. We hadn’t skied together like this in several years! After lessons, and lunch (included for the kids with their lessons), we skied the terrain together as a family. It was fun, and we could not keep up with the kids. They are way too fast for us! Long ski runs at Keystone made for a tired and exhausted family at the end of the day, so be prepared for worn out kiddos and adults!

Since our family was at Keystone, we loved eating at the top of the Summit, and enjoyed some breathtaking views. We also explored other parts of Keystone Resort, including tubing for the first time! Our kids didn’t want to stop tubing, and our little daredevil, our youngest, wanted to keep going even after her one hour was up with the tube. Check height requirements, and make sure to bring soft-sided boots (not ski boots), and you can even go down tubing as a group! The kids also crawled through and enjoyed the mountaintop snow fort. I took the gondola down because I was completely wiped but my little skier wanted to ski down with daddy.

If you are planning a family ski weekend, and want to avoid the I-70 traffic to/from Denver in both directions, which is quite stressful for all, check out lodging specials. We really enjoyed relaxing the night before the big ski day adventure in our condo, and regrouping again after our epic ski day. The private condo unit, not affiliated with Epic SchoolKids, was a short walk to Mountain House and ski school and made our lives easier with equipment, the kids, and the fatigue that set in after all the fun we had. But, it is nice to have a property close by to eat, change clothes (it was pretty hot when we went, so de-layering was a must), or just relax for a bit in the jetted hot tubs. I find that staying an overnight or two truly makes the epic adventure complete. All in all, our family had a successful, fun trip, and we loved everyone we met. We reconnected as a family, did something new, and shared lots of laughs before returning to reality. The kids’ final comment on our drive home said it all, “when can we do that again? I hope soon.” That was nice to hear, rather than hearing, “are we there yet?!”

Required Disclosure:I was selected to blog and promote the Epic SchoolKids program on behalf of Vail Resorts, in exchange for a post and social media promotion. Our family received compensation in-kind. The opinions expressed here are my own, unbiased, and not attributed to Vail Resorts.

The entire show is broken into two acts, and a full two hours long, with a 15-minute intermission. It is engaging and the kids will discover a whole new world with the daring Jasmine and daring Tiana. We were amazed at the acrobatics in the show, complete with high-flying jumps, breathtaking skating, and familiar Disney tunes. All the lovable Disney friends show up to make this an experience your family will never forget. As we left, my eldest remarked, “Since we can’t travel to Disney, it came to us this year!” It made me so happy that this show made an impression on the kids and as they are tucked away, I am sure they are, indeed, dreaming big. Believing is just the beginning when Disney On Ice presents Dream Big, now at the Denver Coliseum through April 9.

Disclaimer: My family and I were compensated the cost of tickets in exchange for honest posts, reviews, and promotion for Feld. Opinions expressed here are my own.

My family and I went skiing this weekend at Keystone, and experienced the Epic SchoolKids program (free skiing in CO for kids K-5). The kids had a blast, and my husband and I even got some alone time on the slopes while the girls took a lesson. We also experienced fun on the mountain, other than skiing and snowboarding. Stay tuned for my full post with pictures, but here are a few photos to get a glimpse of how much fun we had.

My previous years in review (posted here and linked) are upbeat and address my top blog posts. This year has been completely different and unlike any other year. It has been, simply put, the WORST year I have had in my lifetime, and I know a lot of others can attest to this in their lives too. If we could time travel, I’d come back to 2016 and change everything about it, or wipe it from our history altogether.

2016 wasn’t just about politics and the “alt”-election that will bring us into an unknown 2017 and with social issues, possibly launch us back into the 1950s. 2016 was about a lot of lives lost. The theme for 2016 was loss, loss, loss; losses that some of us will never get over. My husband and I personally know so many friends and family who have lost so many loved ones this year (from children, spouses to parents), so it’s not just about political loss. This year, we didn’t just mourn political losses and the crazy Brexit decision, so many good celebrities, musicians, artists, and Americans lost their lives, but I still love what my friend Richard Parker posted on Facebook after we all learned of the passing of 60-year old Carrie Fisher. He said, “We’ve lost a lot of celebrities this year, and we did not like it. But some of us lost people we actually knew – family and friends. And I promise that losing those we once spoke to on the phone or hugged good-bye after a visit hurt a lot more than ‘losing’ the people we never ate breakfast with or whose wedding we attended. Yes, we mourn the loss of those great artists and heroes who inspired us and made their way into our hearts, but let’s not forget those who lost others who were a lot closer than pop stars or politicians for their hearts break far longer than a moment on social media.” Well said, Richard! I do believe, however, that people share their disappointments, fears and heartache through posting about or talking about known public entities lost, because most people find that common ground. And celebrities are symbolic to most, representing our lives and people we know and love in reality.

The biggest loss my family experienced was my biggest celebrity and champion in life, my beautiful momma. She meant the world to me, to my daughters, and so many others. 2016 took my mom. I wrote this Mother’s Day post to her after she was diagnosed with cancer in March, and had surgery in April. Despite chemotherapy and all other attempts, she succumbed to uterine sarcoma on December 4, 2016. New Year’s Day will make four weeks since she left us, but I know in this lifetime, none of the people she left behind will ever get over it. Her absence is being felt all over the world by loved ones. We miss her terribly and gladly bid 2016 good riddance! I wish I could go back in time and change this entire year. If I could, I’d have my mom back, for sure, and healthy.

The only theme for 2016 for our family and so, so many others is echoed in a John Oliver video made after the election about how horrible 2016 has been. If you want to view it, you can google “John Oliver F**! 2016 video.” It is on you tube, and is excellent, but due to explicit language and gestures is not shared here. I did share a shorter video John Oliver made for the same segment, which also represents how we feel about 2016.

The other great video is one on facebook from Friend Dog Studios, 2016: the movie. It’s quite good and who knows if the curse is over? From Brexit, exploding phones, the election and all the havoc in 2016, it captures the year well.

For my faithful readers, I do hope to post more in 2017. This past year has been tough and I didn’t have time to post as much. I wanted to spend as much time with my mom as I could, and of course, most of the time did not feel like posting at all. No matter what you experienced in this shitty year of 2016, may you all have a fresh start in 2017 and experience health, love, and happiness, and here’s hoping (despite my pessimistic, realist outlook), 2017 goes okay for our government and nation as well.

I recently experienced my first parenting fail moment and thought I’d reflect on it and share. We attended the nutcracker ballet last weekend, as we do each year, and I promised both girls they could pick out a nutcracker to take along. Target had them on sale, but I thought they were regular priced at $10. Due to the sale, not much stock was left at our local target, so the kids had to pick from a limited selection of left over, picked over nutcrackers, most of the ones left were painted black or brown.

My oldest picked an angel nutcracker, as you can see from the picture and there was also one Clara nutcracker left, but my youngest really wanted a soldier. She calmly and quietly said, “I want a soldier, but I want a clear faced one, not brown-faced.” I couldn’t help but look around, considering I am and they are Indian-American. At that moment, their mommy became a whopping mixture of both brown and red-faced. No one heard, but I couldn’t help but wonder where I failed as a parent that my child wanted a white nutcracker; a child, mind you who was born a month after the Obamas entered the White House and hasn’t seen any other President yet in her short lifetime.

Then I realized as we talked more in detail that they are just not exposed to multi-cultures here in our homogeneous, yet firmly liberal city or town. My daughter said when we go to the shows, no one performing is like us, nor look like this soldier (the one she opted to buy). She said everyone on the shows we watch are also clear-faced so she wanted what she thought was most appropriate for the nutcracker. I told her in larger towns, and at the the traveling DCPA productions, multi-cultures are indeed represented, and it’s just that the local productions we see are reflective of the population in our local Colorado. From the mouth of babes, though, it helped me understand that I do need to take more steps to expose my children to more Indian activities, and Bollywood productions, and perhaps even different cultural events. At the Nutcracker ballet, a sweet young boy came up to my daughter who was hiding her nutcracker at first, and exclaimed, “I have the same one but mine has a pink face.” I was screaming on the inside considering how embarrassed my daughter was earlier. But, I also noted that color was indeed noticed by children this little, and that this is the reality of our world and it’s our job to educate and mentor our children. I replied, “oh great… this is a unique one and can do the same things yours can. Isn’t that great?” He smiled and took off, but this small event really did open my eyes.

It made me realize that no matter how innocent kids truly are, they perceive things through activities, shows and such, and what we expose them to. The American girl episodes do not help either with its cast of characters, or the TV shows they watch from time to time. Everyone is “clear-faced.” Children certainly don’t intend to discriminate in the same illegal manner that adults may, but they distinguish attractiveness based on what they see and experience, and TV and movies are a huge part of this. My sweet young daughter was embarrassed about what happened, so I don’t force the issue any longer, but when possible, try to show her things I think will help her self-image, and perception of the world around her. Ironically, as we checked out at Target, the people magazine cover struck me and my daughter smiled too as I showed it to her, but she was indeed embarrassed about her innocent comment earlier. Black or white, it does not matter, but I hope we can see past race some day in their lifetimes. Judging from who was elected President recently, his appointees and what he proclaims to stand for, I say we have a long ways to go.

Mile High Mamas

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